Vigil marks day Arnold woman died

Family and friends of Joanne Valentine of Arnold stood in the garage of her family's home Thursday evening and held a vigil for her, marking the day she was shot and killed nine years ago.

Valentine, 47, was coming home from work at a Pasadena nightclub about 4 a.m. when she was confronted by four men who had followed her to her driveway. One of the men fired two shots, and another struck her in the head. She died at Maryland Shock Trauma Center that morning.

Her family - including her husband and two sons - has held a vigil every year since she died, said Pam Lyons, the victim's sister.

In past years, they have gathered in the driveway, marking the place of her death. But family members moved this year's vigil to the garage because of heavy rain. About 40 people came to the Valentine family's Broadwater Road home to remember her and to keep attention focused on the unsolved homicide.

Murder charges in the case have been filed and dropped twice.

"We'll keep going until it gets solved," Lyons said of the vigils.

Lyons, who believes that someone knows what happened to her sister, hopes the gathering will "spark somebody's conscience, or ... something to bring forward information."

"We're hoping something will unravel. If her case gets solved, we'll have closure," she said.

Lt. Joe Jordan, spokesman for the Anne Arundel County police, said he didn't know whether there had been any new leads in the case. He said it remains open in the cold-case files of the county police.

Anyone with information about the slaying is asked to call police at 410-222-3456.